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​Being a tween girl is rough. Raising a tween girl is rough. It’s just a little rough all around. Especially when it comes to body stuff. You know like, are these parts too big, are these parts too little, should I cover this, show that & on & on.

I’d like to get this out of the way first: I am really crappy mom a lot of the time. We all are right? We are trying , but man, it’s rough (Some days everything is rough.). That said, one thing I really want to try hard at is helping my daughter have a healthy body image. It’s too easy to have a negative one & if I can give her some good stuff to replace that I’m all in.

One thing that we unknowingly did (isn't parenting so many clueless choices that go really great & an equal amount of well thought out choices that go completely differently than you so thoughtfully planned?) was get her into sports. I mean, we knew we were putting her in sports, that wasn't an accident but the reason we got her into them wasn't to improve her body image. & yet that is what is happening & I couldn't be happier.

Here are some things that sports have given her in relation to her body image:

Confidence in what her body can do.

The knowledge that every person on the team has a different role & if they all were the same, the team wouldn't function.

Understanding that different bodies are great at different things: Taller girls are centers on basketball, faster girls are forwards in soccer, a bigger body kills that shot put.

But also that she can try a sport or position that might not traditionally be for her body type & see.

There are so many different types of bodies. Apart from what they can do the variety of body types on one team is amazing.

Having people depend on her for what she does, not what she looks like.

Having people value her for what she does, not what she looks like.

Our family has found that sports are the best way for us to witness & live these things but I believe that this can be accomplished in other non-sports ways, too. Art, writing, creating videos, designing furniture, almost anything a person is interested in can contribute to those good thoughts. Confidence in something that isn't looks or weight dependent seems like a good start.

Because we are a sports family I'm super excited to see The Miracle Season. I love sports movies & I'm so ready to see one that's focused on a girls team. (I'm also psyched to see Helen Hunt in the role of the coach!)

Here's the trailer & the movie description so you can get excited, too :)

Based on the inspiring true story of West High School girls' volleyball team. After the tragic death of the school's star player Caroline "Line" Found, the remaining team players must band together under the guidance of their tough-love coach in hope of winning the state championship. ​I'd love to hear if you see The Miracle Season, let us know in the comments!

thanks much for your endorsement of this strong female-athlete film that transcends sports. As the real life coach and author of the book, The Miracle Season, I can promise parents that these real life young women depicted in the film are some of the most amazing young women I've ever been around and tremendous role models.